'Easy dude to root for': Varsho finds his stride to spark win

TORONTO -- Finally, here’s another glimpse of what this lineup should look like.

The Blue Jays did everything they were supposed to do against a starter with a five-plus ERA in Sunday afternoon’s 11-4 win over the Cubs at Rogers Centre. It sounds so simple, but this lineup has been a soft landing spot for struggling starters all too often in 2023.

With the win, the Blue Jays dodged the sweep and moved a full game up on the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot, meaning they’ll go to bed in a playoff position regardless of Sunday night’s result between Seattle and Baltimore. That race is suddenly turning into a dead sprint down the home stretch of a marathon, and if Toronto wants to stay on its feet, it’ll need more days like this one.

Daulton Varsho was the star of the show, which isn’t a sentence you’ve read enough times this season. The outfielder put the Blue Jays on the board with a three-run home run to right field to spark a five-run second inning, then he drove in another pair with a single in his next at-bat. The five-RBI day is a new career high for Varsho, who needed a big day perhaps more than anyone on this roster.

“A three-run homer is huge, and we had a good, patient approach,” said manager John Schneider. “We grinded it out and got big hits when we needed to. It’s everything we’ve been talking about for a while. That’s what we did today.”

Varsho’s struggles haven’t been subtle this season. Going back to July 1, he’d been batting .183 with a .497 OPS, so things hadn’t exactly been improving as the season went on, either.

What he’s done through all of this, at least, is play some brilliant defense.

Varsho is one of the game’s best left fielders, ranking third in MLB with a Fielding Run Value of +8. What makes the 27-year-old truly special, though, is that he is also a top-end center fielder, which we’ve seen more of in the absence of Kevin Kiermaier. That has given the Blue Jays their best defensive outfield in years, and it’s kept Varsho’s value alive, even when his bat is dragging.

“His offense, we still think it’s going to continue to be better and it’s trending in the right direction,” Schneider said. “He beat out a double play [in the eighth] and allowed us to score three. What he does defensively with his energy, the professionalism he brings, it just gives everyone a kick in the [butt]. He’s an easy dude to root for.”

All of that will be a major factor two months from now, when Kiermaier hits free agency. The Blue Jays are interested in a reunion, considering their one-year, $9 million deal with Kiermaier worked out beautifully, but sliding Varsho over to center full-time and seeking more offensive upside in left field is an attractive option, too.

Toronto was chasing star power in Varsho, though, and his bat has held him back from scratching any of that potential this season.

The price tag of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and blue-chip catching prospect Gabriel Moreno made sense at the time for a reason. The Blue Jays saw even more power than Varsho’s 27 home runs from a year ago, and when you factor in his speed on the bases, it all pointed to a dynamic, game-changing player. It still could, eventually.

All season long, Schneider has pointed to the challenge of Varsho learning a new league and new pitchers. Coming over from the NL, Varsho is still seeing plenty of pitchers for the first time. His job is to understand how pitchers think, which depends on the day.

“The big thing is how different teams attack me,” Varsho said. “Obviously, their pitchers are all different from the other teams, and you have to try to figure out what they do to you to figure out your own game plan for them. It’s even a very fun, interesting way for me to find out how to attack different guys and understand what I need to do to be successful every single day.”

Teams have attacked Varsho up in the zone, which is lesson No. 1. He’s learned to wait for strikes, but also used someone like Orioles reliever Félix Bautista as an example of a pitcher so good he makes you change that strategy entirely. It’s all part of the process, even if that process is taking some time.

The Blue Jays don’t need Varsho to become Mike Trout overnight, but this team has spent all season being “close,” and Varsho is one of many players capable of pushing them over that line.